


Ice Breaker

by raphaelsantiagosavedhimself



Category: Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Canon - Book, Fluff, M/M, Saphael, group dynamic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-07-28 12:32:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7640188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raphaelsantiagosavedhimself/pseuds/raphaelsantiagosavedhimself
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raphael and the Shadowhunters just can't seem to get on with each other, so Magnus decides to make them play an ice breaker game in order to get them to be nicer to each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ice Breaker

**Author's Note:**

> Edited from a version also posted on my tumblr

An awkward silence filled the room, thick, heavy and uncomfortable. Raphael sat in the armchair near the fireplace, trying to ignore the presence of the Shadowhunters, knowing they were doing exactly the same with him. It had been the usual fight; it’s your fault this happened to Simon, you don’t look after him properly, we’re better than you because we have stupid tattoos and get to wield stupid pointy glowsticks while you can’t even go out in the daylight. Paraphrasing, of course.

Every few minutes, Magnus sighed loudly, as if to remind them all that they were in his home and being very discourteous guests. He seemed constantly on the verge of speaking, but never did, possibly remembering that last time he had spoken he started off another argument.

Raphael couldn’t help glancing over at Simon. He sat on the armchair beside Clary, knees drawn up to his chest and his chin resting on top of them. The firelight was reflected in the lenses of his glasses which he apparently wore out of habit, because Raphael knew he didn’t need them anymore. Vampire vision was even stronger than that of mundanes with perfect sight.

During the entire argument, Simon had not said a word. He hadn’t defended Raphael, but he hadn’t argued against him either. Raphael would have thought it was out of some compulsion to be loyal to his sire if Simon hadn’t already argued with him and outright ignored him a hundred times before.

Simon turned his head, as if he knew Raphael was thinking about him, and their eyes briefly met. He looked like he wanted to say something. He chewed on his lower lip, an indecisive gesture. Then he looked away again.

‘Okay, I give in, this silence is killing me,’ Magnus said, getting to his feet. ‘We need to sort this out.’

‘There’s nothing to sort out,’ Jace said. ‘Unless it means him leaving.’ He nodded towards Raphael.

‘I have more right to be here than you do,’ Raphael snapped.

‘Stop it!’ Magnus said, glaring at both Jace and Raphael. ‘This is my house, I could throw you both out if I wanted to. I’m not going to do that.’ He paused, waiting for someone to object. When no one did, he beamed, and Raphael’s unbeating heart sank. Nothing good ever followed Magnus grinning like that. ‘We’re going to play a game,’ he announced.

‘Are you serious?’ Isabelle asked. She sounded genuinely curious, as if she couldn’t believe Magnus would decide to do something as ridiculous as play a game at a time like this. Raphael thought she mustn’t know Magnus very well yet.

‘It’s a trust exercise,’ Magnus said. ‘Or an ice breaker.’

‘Like those games you play on the first day of school?’ Clary asked.

‘Exactly,’ Magnus said, seemingly pleased that she had caught on so quickly. ‘Okay, I need you all to sit in a circle.’

The only person who moved was Simon, who looked uncomfortable when he realised only he had gotten to his feet.

Magnus rolled his eyes. ‘I’m not joking. Either get in the circle or get out, I don’t have all day. Don’t forget that I can _force_ you.’ He waggled his fingers threateningly.

Clary got to her feet and she and Simon sat down on the floor. Alec followed them, looking terrified of whatever was about to happen. Jace and Isabelle exchanged glances, and then Isabelle shrugged her shoulders and sat down in the circle too. She alone looked interested. Jace sat down on Clary’s other side. All heads turned to look at Raphael.

‘Come on grumpy-pants,’ Magnus said.

Simon grinned and Jace snickered.

Wondering if he was better off just leaving, Raphael stood up and took his place in the circle between Alec and Simon.

Magnus stood in the centre of the circle and clicked his fingers. A bowl, a stack of small squares of paper and some pens appeared in his hands. ‘I’m going to put everyone’s names in this bowl and then we’re all going to pick one out. All you have to do is write one nice thing about that person and then put it back in the bowl and then we’ll read out what everyone’s written. See? Easy.’

Magnus took a couple of seconds writing down the names and while he did so, Raphael glanced around. Isabelle still looked pretty excited, Jace looked annoyed, Alec looked horrified. Magnus folded up the pieces of paper and dropped them into the bowl and then began offering the bowl to each of them in turn. When he reached Jace, Jace beckoned to him and then whispered something. He had clearly intended no one else to hear, but he had forgotten all about heightened vampire senses, and Raphael heard him perfectly.

‘If I get Raphael’s, can I put it back and pick another one?’ he asked.

‘No,’ Magnus said, not bothering to whisper back. ‘You can only pick another one if you get your own name.’

Jace looked even more annoyed.

Simon, who would have heard Jace’s words just as clearly as Raphael had, glanced sideways at Raphael to gauge his reaction, and there was a look of sympathy in his expression. Raphael tried to ignore him and Simon looked away.

Magnus finished passing the bowl around and then picked out the last piece of paper for himself. Then he sat down, squeezing himself between Alec and Isabelle, causing Isabelle to shuffle along to make room for him.

Raphael unfolded his piece of paper, read the name on it and groaned.

There were ten minutes of silence as everyone thought of something to write. Raphael glanced around the room. There was a big dorky smile on Alec’s face now, Jace’s eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, and Clary appeared to be drawing on her piece of paper.

When everyone had finished, Magnus collected up each piece of paper and handed them back to the people whose names they bore.

‘Okay,’ Magnus said. ‘I’ll start.’ He looked down at his piece of paper and grinned. ‘“You have very cool hair, and I do not resent that all my stuff is permanently covered in glitter”.’

Everyone turned to look at Alec, who blushed but looked rather pleased with himself.

‘Thank you, darling,’ Magnus said, leaning over to kiss him.

Raphael rolled his eyes.

‘My turn,’ Isabelle said, and read out, ‘“Isabelle, sometimes I think you are me in girl form and I really like that”. Really, Magnus?’

‘How did you know that was me?’ Magnus asked.

‘Who else would have said something like that?’

Magnus shrugged. ‘Fair enough. You don’t agree?’

‘Actually I do. I like this idea.’

‘I don’t,’ Alec mumbled.

Simon snorted in an attempt to hold back his laugh.

‘Moving on,’ Jace said loudly. ‘“I no longer find you insufferable”. Sounds like Raphael except I know he’d never say that.’

‘Does it?’ Simon asked, the incredulity in his voice giving him away.

‘For the record,’ Raphael said, looking at Jace, ‘I find you more insufferable every time I look at you.’

‘Raphael,’ Magnus scolded him. ‘We’re being _nice_ to each other.’

‘I don’t do nice.’

‘Well you better at least make an effort,’ Magnus said. ‘Although I suppose if you’ve written something offensive on yours everyone will know it was you.’

‘When did you find me insufferable?’ Jace asked Simon, pretending to look hurt.

‘Almost every time I looked at you when we first met,’ Simon said.

‘Are you intentionally trying to sound like Raphael?’ Jace asked. ‘It doesn’t make you cooler, Lewis. It makes you sound like an annoying, self-serving, snarky little—’

‘ _We are being_ nice, _Jace,_ ’ Magnus said, a definite note of warning in his voice now.

‘This is going about as well as I expected,’ Raphael sighed.

It was Clary’s turn next, ‘“I wish we could switch heights because sometimes I get sick of being taller than everyone. Also, can I please borrow your hair sometimes?”’ and it was immediately obvious it had been written by Isabelle, who leaned over Jace to drape some of Clary’s hair over her head.  
‘What do you think?’ she asked. ‘Do I suit it?’

Next was Simon’s. ‘“You are adorable when you smile”. Very funny, Clary.’

‘I didn’t get yours, Si,’ Clary said. The genuine surprise on her face showed she was telling the truth and Simon glanced around the circle, as if trying to figure out who had written it.

Raphael kept his expression blank.

When no one confessed to having written it, Simon shrugged.

Realising it was his turn, Raphael unfolded his piece of paper and read, ‘“I’m sorry for ever blaming you for what happened to Simon. You saved his life and I will never stop being thankful for that”.’ In the corner was a tiny sketch of Raphael with a halo and angel wings, an arrow pointing to it labelled ‘guardian ~~angel~~ vampire’.

Raphael raised an eyebrow at Clary who blushed but smiled. Beside him, Simon shifted slightly. Raphael didn’t dare look at him.

No one spoke a word until Magnus said, ‘Alec? Yours?’

Alec cleared his throat uncomfortably and read, ‘“I would say you are my better half, but you can’t improve on perfection”. Jace!’ Alec crumpled up his piece of paper and threw it at Jace, who batted it aside, laughing.

The Shadowhunters and Magnus lapsed into animated conversation and no one seemed to notice when Raphael got to his feet and retreated back to the armchair by the fire. He still held Clary’s note in his hand and he looked down at it again. When Magnus had said they had to write something nice, he had expected to receive some brief, forced and entirely fabricated compliment. He had not expected an apology.

‘I didn’t expect that either,’ a voice said beside him.

Raphael looked up, startled, to see Simon smiling down at him.

‘What do you want?’ he asked.

‘Once you know who wrote everyone else’s compliments, it wasn’t difficult to figure out who wrote mine,’ Simon said. ‘Don’t worry, I don’t think you actually meant it. But still, it was… nice. So thank you.’

‘ _De nada_.’

Simon grinned. ‘Are you still just going to sulk in the corner?’

‘Bane thinks he can fix things with stupid games,’ Raphael said. ‘He’s wrong.’

Simon shrugged. ‘I don’t know. We stopped fighting at least.’

‘For now.’

‘You’re a barrel of laughs, aren’t you,’ Simon said. He sat down on the edge of the coffee table in front of the armchair. ‘I’m curious. What would you have written if you’d picked anyone else’s names?’

‘You want me to say something nice about them?’

Simon shrugged again. Raphael wished he’d stop smiling. It made it difficult to look at him.

‘I’d have told Clarissa she makes me feel better about myself because I don’t often meet people who are shorter than me.’

Simon giggled. ‘She’d love you for that. Who else?’

Raphael glanced over at the others. Clary was sitting in Jace’s lap and talking to Isabelle. Alec and Magnus had secluded themselves, much like Raphael and Simon had, and were talking in low voices. Magnus’ eyes were bright as he looked at Alec.

‘I would tell Alexander that he makes Magnus happy and I’m grateful for that. Magnus deserves nothing but the best.’

‘Well…’ Simon said. ‘That’s better than having an adorable smile, I guess.’ Unless he was mistaken, Raphael thought Simon sounded disappointed. ‘Anyway, I’m going to go and talk to Clary.’ He got to his feet and turned away.

‘Daylighter.’

Simon stopped and looked back at Raphael.

‘I was glad I got yours,’ Raphael said. ‘And I did mean it.’

A slow, warm smile spread across Simon’s face. Exactly the kind of smile Raphael had been thinking about as he had written the compliment down on the piece of paper. Exactly the kind of smile he remembered every time he thought about Simon. Exactly the kind of smile he couldn’t resist.

Raphael smiled back.

‘ _Gracias_ ,’ Simon said. His pronunciation was awful and it made Raphael giggle before he could stop himself. Simon’s smile widened further still. ‘I’m going to speak to Clary, and then I’ll come back?’ He phrased it as a question, uncertain at the last moment.

Raphael nodded. ‘I’d like that.’

Raphael watched Simon walk away and sit down with his friends, and he found it impossible to stop smiling.


End file.
